2014 NFL draft: Latest rumors, buzz

The Texans want to trade down from No. 1 overall, but their asking price appears to be too high. (Juan DeLeon/Icon SMI)

The rumor mill is in full swing ahead of the 2014 NFL draft (Round 1 begins at 8 p.m. ET on May 8). What's the latest buzz on Johnny Manziel, the No. 1 overall pick and more? Keep track of it all below.

12:00 p.m. ET

• Johnny Manziel is the No. 1 player on the Dallas Cowboys' board, reports ESPN's Todd McShay, via Rotoworld. Fellow ESPNer Ed Werder said he expected Johnny Football to be drafted somewhere in the top seven picks, so Dallas would have to trade up to have a chance at him. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport disagrees, saying that Blake Bortles is the Cowboys' top QB.

• The No. 1 QB on the Oakland Raiders' board? It's Blake Bortles, reports ESPN's Adam Caplan, but he's not "getting the feeling" that the team will look QB at No. 5.

• The Raiders reportedly prefer Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans over Clemson's Sammy Watkins, says Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk. "The question becomes whether both are still on the board at No. 5, and whether the Raiders choose to pick a receiver."

• The Houston Texans have lowered their asking price for the No. 1 overall pick, reports the Houston Chronicle's John McClain. They're now hoping to get a first-, second- and third-round pick this year, and a first-rounder in 2015.

• It's Sammy Watkins or bust for the Detroit Lions, says Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. "Fascinating to see what business decision #Lions make today: Trade up for Sammy Watkins or stay put."

9:00 a.m. ET

• Waiting for a trade? Don't hold your breath, says TheMMQB's Peter King. "I think this could well be the first draft in awhile with no trades in the top five. There’s just too much disagreement on the value of the picks -- and no quarterback that stokes the fire of GMs with itchy trigger fingers for solving the quarterback problem." King also believes the Rams could be an option for Jadeveon Clowney if the Texans pass, and that there may not be a spot for Johnny Manziel in the top half of the draft.

Wednesday

10:15 p.m. ET

• The Texans are reportedly seeking three first-rounders and a second-rounder for the No. 1 overall pick, per Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, who clarifies that the haul will obviously depend on where Houston is dropping to.

• Per Draft Insider's Tony Pauline, a "number of team executives" believe the Panthers will take Nevada O-lineman Joel Bitonio at No. 28.

6:00 p.m. ET

• One NFL executive tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that things are "eerily quiet" on the eve of the NFL draft.

• Count LeBron James among those hoping Johnny Manziel goes No. 1 overall. "Being a huge supporter and friend of Johnny, I want him to go No. 1," James told reporters after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. "If that doesn't happen, wherever he lands, he's going to be a heck of a football player for that franchise."

• For the first time ever, NFL draftees will get to choose the music that plays as they walk to the stage at Radio City Music Hall, reports NFL Network's Rich Eisen.

• Could the Dolphins move up for an O-lineman, specifically Notre Dame's Zack Martin? Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald believes so. "That’s why there’s a growing belief in league circles that the Dolphins will package a deal and go get someone they truly like Thursday night. And that player is probably versatile Notre Dame lineman Zack Martin."

2:00 p.m. ET

• The Buffalo Bills are "burning up the phone lines" in an attempt to trade up from No. 9 to either No. 2 (currently owned by the St. Louis Rams) or No. 1 overall (Houston Texans), reports ProFootballTalk. "The targets are believed to be defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and tackle Greg Robinson. It’s unclear what it would take to get a deal done. With both the Texans and Rams hoping to slide down, the Bills could spark a bidding war for a bargain."

• One player shooting up the boards? LSU's Odell Beckham Jr., who has a chance to go above Texas A&M's Mike Evans, says ESPN's Ed Werder.

• Jerry Jones says the Cowboys won't turn the reins over to a rookie QB like Johnny Manziel, via the Ft. Worth Star Telegram. "I"m not that gunned up over what a rookie quarterback could do for us this year," Jones said. "That takes time. This is not rebuilding time."

6:45 p.m. ET

• There's "chatter in league circles" that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could move up to No. 2 (the pick of the St. Louis Rams) from No. 7, reports ProFootballTalk. Who they could be eyeing at No. 2 remains a mystery.

• Despite reports that Cleveland would not let Johnny Manziel slip past it at No. 4, Jay Glazer told Fox Sports Radio that he's hearing the Browns will not take Johnny Football in the top five.

12:30 p.m. ET

• Lions GM Martin Mayhew said WR Sammy Watkins "would fit" the team well (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). "We like him [Watkins] as a football player, so we did our due diligence on him, as we've done on [Jadeveon] Clowney and other guys," Mayhew said on a redraft conference call. "He would fit us; he can make plays. His track record speaks for itself, I think."

• If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can get a second-rounder for QB Mike Glennon, expect them to move him, reports NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He couches the report, saying it'd be contingent on the Bucs drafting a QB as well.

• St. Louis Rams GM Les Snead says the team has a "high-class problem" sitting No. 2 overall. "At two this year, it's a nice place to be," Snead told NFL Network's NFL AM. "There's a lot of good players there, and you could make a couple of choices or three and be right."

9:30 a.m. ET

• Two teams that have talked about moving into the top-five: the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, reports Ian Rapoport.

• Central Florida coach George O'Leary thinks former star quarterback Blake Bortles would be a great fit for the Vikings. "I'd love to see [Bortles] go to Minnesota," O'Leary, the Vikings' defensive coordinator in 2002-03, told the Pioneer Press on Monday. "I think any young quarterback would love to have the running game they have. … I basically think it'd be a great mix [with the Vikings]. There's no question they like him. Norv really likes him."

• If the New York Jets go offense at No. 18, USC's Marqise Lee could be one of the targets. "The Jets have shown a ton of interest in Lee," Brian Costello writes in the New York Post. "Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg attended Lee’s pro day in March and met with him privately both before and after the workout."

• The NFL Network will have cameras in 16 war rooms during the draft, including the Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and more.
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